So ive been reading all i can to keep from looking like a noob...
but what kind of things would you reccomend doing to the stock suspension on at 2006 MCS Sport pack, I have the two piece wheels, a bunch of motor mods, stock brakes and terriffic understeer.
i want to banish the under steer what can i do to make this car neutral
do i need sway bars? front and rear can i modify the one i have?
should i put the JCW suspension on it or what
what are the general thoughts on camber plates and the alta positve steering response system?
also i think its important that to point out that i have kumho ecstsa spt's
dont know if they are any good its just what im running right now.

So anyone who want to jump into this have at im all ears...
thank you in advance.

 

Sway bar! Invest in either a 19 or a 22mm depending on how far you want to go. The JCW suspension is good but there is better stuff out there. A lot of people say it's the best bang for the buck plus you get factory build quality. If I was in the market for lowring, I'd go TSW springs and either Koni's or Bilstein's myself. Probably Koni due to the name and adjustability. I already have a Hotchkis 19mm bar and love it.

 

I personally think that the stock suspension is great. Get rid of the rubbish stock rear bar and replace it with a 19mm and get some more neg camber up front. I think 22mm is too much when you couple it with more front neg camber

 

ahh yes, the front wheel drive vehicle. understeer and torque steer are our mortal rivals

 

You know what...I think the stock suspension is garbage..IMO. After doing everything to my car that you can pretty much do (aside from motor). My car handles like nobody's business. Even lightly modded MCS (suspension) cant keep up with me in the turns....

 

HemiHeaded18 are these the dreaded coilovers i keep hearing about?
or do they still use the same strut base?

 

I'm going to give a big + to the stock suspension. It is perfect for the car's weight as long as you can get your alignment set and keep the geometry stable. So that is stock springs and dampers, front camber plates, poly control arm bushings, 4 adj. rear control arms, poly trailing arm bushings, then a 22mm rear bar on stiffest +endlinks.

Don't forget the agressive alignment. With all of the aformentioned stuff and my alignment at -2º camber front, 0º toe, -1.5º camber rear, and 0.05º toe-in, my car is neutral at any speed all day long and can oversteer easily on command by lifting the throttle.

 

Well as you can see from my signature, I've done quite a bit to my suspension, and yes the grip is increased, and the body roll decreased etc etc, but the stock suspension is up there with the best I've tried on any stock car (as long as the bigger rear bar is in along with some decent tyres). Obviously expensive coilovers such as what you and I have are going to offer more grip and better handling, but I think the stock suspension does a great job (not with ride quality, however).

 

Nope, these are the springs:
http://www.txwerks.com/servlet/Detail?no=28
And to which I might add, even though I don't have them, I have yet to hear 1 bad thing about them.

And here's the struts:
http://www.detroittuned.com/products...20050219180146
Hhhhmmmm, yellows.

 

Silversmoke,
The stock suspension is more than adequate for most purposes and properly setup should be extremely neutral. If your camber is set properly, then simply adjusting the front tire pressure up in 1 pound increments until you get neutral steering is all you should need to do. Also, in an aggressive curve, be certain to trailbrake into the turn just enough to properly shift the weight of the car onto the outside front wheel before initiating the acceleration through the turn.

The JCW suspension will draw a different line through the turn, but I'm not certain how much quicker it really is.

 

lhoboy,
what im mostly trying to get rid of is when say a light will turn yellow and you push thru the turn at a quick pace the car understeers
however ill be quick to try out your advice.
because the best thing about a fourm is free advice
I know its off topic but how much was your Gp Intercooler and do you like it...
So to do list is now swaybar. for certain
can i adjust the camber on the car the way it is or do i have to buy plates?
plates right?

 

front camber is not adjustable. You will have to buy plates

 

IMO, suspension is the most hard and complicated system all over any vehicle or a moving object. I think JCW would be the best choice even if there are good aftermarket manufacturers including coilovers and stuff. IMO, JCW and Mini would spend 100 times more any aftermarket manufacturer on R&D to get things done. My advice, get the OEM suspension not forgetting that some aftermarket products would require drilling and hassles.

 

Silversmoke,

etalj is correct that the camber cannot be adjusted without camber plates. However, if you have serious understeer, yo should have the camber checked to see if it meets spec. If not, it may be a warranty issue.

Marwan makes a good point regarding the use of manufacturer performance parts. Fatr less time and expense will go into tweaking the JCW suspension than the aftermarket equipment.

The price of the GP intercooler depends on where you can find one. Typically $400-600. They are not available from U.S. dealers who for some reason are trying to keep GP parts exclusively on GP cars. The GP ICs typically are takeoffs from folks wanting a more radical aftermarket cooler or someone who has bought a bunch somewhere overseas. I went with the GP because I don't have the necessary resources to properly match tune a bunch performance parts from various aftermarket manufacturers (back to Marwan's point). Based on the number of fin sections, the GP IC has 20% more cooling capacity than the JCW or S IC (JCW and S IC have same core different cover). Maybe in warm ambient temperatures, the additional cooling avoids excessive retardation of the ignition timing, but I really can't feel much of a difference. You've already done the big jump with the pulley and tune.

 

Well, if it's about engine mods, first thing to go for is a pully and ALWAYS stick to JCW products. JCW products are pricy so only classy people will get it (think of it like that). Never think that aftermarket products are smarter or better engineered. For example, some manufacturers will present 400cc or 450cc injectors in replacement to the JCW 380cc which I'm using, never think that this is better just because it's bigger .

For the IC, always know that ICs are made to preserve power and not to produce power. Engines in the optimum running temps are generating the maximum HP they are equipped to generate, cooler engines or hotter engines will face power drop. That's why you have to cool your call really good before getting realistic dyno numbers. If you run your car in highways, long distances and big track days, go for it. Air-air ICs are not that good but I'll always stick to my point to stay OEM as much as you can. Staying in air-air IC business and market, BMW ICs are know for the best heat transfer and soak numbers. They take far less time losing the heat they gained compared to other aftermarket products.


STAY OEM, check my signature for list of mods.